


The Clever Thief Who Steals For Good

by KriemhildGretchenKaname



Category: Kaitou Saint Tail, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-05-12
Packaged: 2018-06-04 08:42:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6650779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KriemhildGretchenKaname/pseuds/KriemhildGretchenKaname
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Saint Tail in the Pokemon world. Instead of Meimi being Saint Tail, another girl, Lien, is. Two chapters per one episode.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Thief Of Hearts Saint Tail— Set Up!

The Clever Thief Who Steals For Good  
Chapter One: Thief of Hearts Saint Tail— Set up!

Lien

While by day, I was just an average student of St. Paulia’s School, by night, I was the infamous thief with a good cause, Saint Tail. You see, I never stole anything without a good reason.

Tonight, to neither mine nor my best friend Sierra’s surprise, I was pulling off another heist. Admittedly, I should have been at home in bed, but I A) happened to like my job, and B) was the only one who could do it. I wasn’t sure why, but Sierra told me that according to Arceus-sama, it had to be me. Me, I was just doing it because I was bored of school. I wanted to go on my Pokémon journey, but of course the orphanage where I lived wouldn’t let me.

They ‘didn’t have the funds’ or something stupid like that. As if I needed money to go on my journey; just a way to get to Sandgem Town to get a starter and a Pokédex from Professor Rowan, like all new Trainers from Sinnoh.

But no, they wouldn’t let me. I personally thought they just wanted me out of the way or something, which was why they shipped me off to nun school. The second I graduated, which couldn’t come too soon, I was going on a Pokémon journey.

So instead, I settled for being Saint Tail to spice up my life.

And this way, I also got to help people

Granted, I had only started recently and had only pulled off a small number of heists so far, but being Saint Tail was already an ingrained part of my life, so much so that I almost hoped I never had to stop. I liked it a lot more than I did _school._

Anyway, tonight’s heist was stealing a painting from a man who had originally stolen it and several other works of art from the museum. He probably did what I did on the first few heists before the ‘boys in blue’ as I had dubbed them, caught on to me: waltz right out with them as if he were meant to have them. It was such a simple tactic that I was surprised it took the boys in blue four heists to catch onto me. The boys in blue that I had to deal with were also quite incompetent so that made my job easier. I was in and out with little problems, long before anyone at school realized I was gone. Except Sierra, of course, but that was the whole point.

The next morning at school, all anyone could talk about was my, well, Saint Tail’s latest heist. My classmate Asuka Jr. wasn’t too pleased by a few of the descriptions, but I told him to chill out and relax, and worry about his grades instead of Saint Tail, because he seemed to think that every unsolved crime in the past month or so was the work of Saint Tail.

He accused me of being Saint Tail, but I just laughed.

How could he think that I was Saint Tail? Okay, so I was, but still. The fact remained that if I laughed about it, made a joke out of it, no one would actually believe the accusation.

“You really think that I’m Saint Tail?” I wheezed through my laughter. “Seriously? How in the world did you come to that conclusion? For one, we look nothing alike. I’ve got blue eyes and from the reports I’ve seen, Saint Tail has green. I’m blond but Saint Tail has brown hair. For another, my best chance of being able to go on a Pokémon journey is to unfortunately stay in school. So I’ve been told anyway. And also, I believe class is about to start, so can we continue this argument later? I have no desire to get detention. I kind of need to get good grades.”

“Fine, we’ll continue this after school!” Asuka Jr. shouted.

Rolling my eyes, I spun on my heel and marched toward my seat.

Class was boring as always, and frankly I wished I could learn something more interesting, and preferably something about Pokémon, but sadly, that wasn’t going to happen. This was, after all, a religious school. To make matters worse, I hadn’t even been allowed to sign up for the classes that dealt with Pokémon, so I was stuck in the classes for those who didn’t want to be Trainers. If I could just get a Pokémon, then I could switch programs, but until that happened, I was unfortunately stuck. I’d just have to find a Pokémon or something, somehow.

After school, I headed to the church to ask Sierra to pray for me so that I could get a Pokémon of my own. On the way in, I passed a little girl who had brown eyes and brown hair which had been done up in pigtails. I could think of only one reason why she’d be here.

 _And hopefully, it’ll mean another heist tonight._ I thought hopefully.

“Hey Sierra,” I called out as I entered. “I passed a girl on my way in. Do I have another heist to pull tonight? Please tell me I do.”

Sierra turned to face me, smiling. “Yes, you do.” She answered. “That little girl, Saori, came to ask for Arceus-sama’s help.” She paused briefly. “Do you want me to tell you the whole story, or a summarized version?”

“The whole story, please.” I requested.

“Alright. Her grandfather is a jewelry appraiser who was recently brought two sapphires to appraise. One of them was the Blue Meteorite, a very rare, unique, expensive gem. The other was a fake, created as a precaution against theft.” My best friend began.

“Let me guess,” I put in. “The fake was so clever, so similar to the real one, that he forgot which one was fake and which one was real.”

“Exactly, which was why they were sent to a jewelry appraiser. Saori’s grandfather was taken in by the gem’s beauty, and told the owner that the fake was the real one and bought the real one for a very low price. The fake was sold to a rich woman, and she has no idea that the gem she bought isn’t the real Blue Meteorite.” She explained. “So tonight, we’re going to correct it.”

“So what I’m supposed to do is take the real gem and exchange it with the fake?” I guessed. Sierra nodded. “Exactly. It should be easy enough.”

I grinned. “Perfect. I hoped I would be able to go out tonight.”

Sierra shook her head. “Sometimes, I think that you’re a little too eager to be Saint Tail.”

I shrugged. “Maybe. But anything is better than having to go to school. You know how I feel about it, and what I would do if I had my way.”

“True.” She acknowledged. “Very true. Now, I think that you should go right after dark, because usually you go later in the evening, a while after it’s gotten dark. If we vary your pattern a bit, then it’ll be harder for the police to catch onto you.”

I nodded. “Got it.” For the hell of it, I sent a Shadow Clone, a solid clone that gave me all of its memories when it dispelled, back to the dorms, while I stayed in the church until it was time. Most of the time was spent praying that I would get a Pokémon soon. “Are you ready?” Sierra asked when the sun had set.

Grinning, I held up the pendant which would turn me into Saint Tail. “And you know it.”

“Good luck.” She said.

I closed my hands around the pendant and closed my eyes. “Ye Lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of man! Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams, unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws! Thief of Hearts— set up!”


	2. Discovering A Devious Plot

The Clever Thief Who Steals For  
Good Chapter Two: Discovering A Devious Plot

_Lien_

Poker cards circled around me and I threw my hands above my head as my clothes disappeared, turned to feathers of light, and were replaced with a black and silver bodysuit that stopped at around my hips, as well as a white, navy blue, and silver jacket over it that had puffed out shoulders, a pair of half-gauntlets with a silver gem set in the center, and a navy blue waist-cape. My normally loose blond hair turned reddish brown and pulled itself into a ponytail. Finally, my pendant turned into my staff, which I grabbed. Completing the look were a pair of black socks and boots with a yellow X-tie on them, and six small black wings.

Stopping for a moment, Sierra and I bowed our heads and clasped our hands together to pray. “May the blessings of Arceus-sama go with us.”

And with that I leapt onto the roof towards my destination. Getting there was easy enough— however, I ran into a small snag when I discovered the safe already open with nothing inside of it. I hurried through the house and managed to catch someone fleeing through the window— a thief, one who likely didn't have my good intentions.

I followed the thief to a mansion— the mansion of the Blue Meteorite’s original owner. This had just gotten a lot more complicated. _I better listen in and figure out what’s going on._ I decided and tossed a listening seal at the nearby window.

“Did it go well?” Kaido asked the thief.

The thief smirked. “Yes.” He reached into his suit jacket and pulled out the Blue Meteorite.

“This is perfect.” Kaido smirked as well.

“We steal back the gems that we sell and then resell them to another sucker.” The thief added.

“There are no rules to making money.” Kaido agreed.

Okay, time to beat a hasty retreat and tell Sierra about this. I hastily retreated and canceled the listening seal and practically ran home. She wasn’t there, so I left her a note and mentally resolved to talk to her after school tomorrow.

If I knew Sierra, she would tell me that I couldn’t go because she didn’t have any information on Kaido and because it was too dangerous. She’d probably want me to wait, but I wouldn’t. For one, it didn’t sit right with me just to let an injustice keep going on. For another, who knew how long it would take before my best friend could get more information on Kaido? By the time she had enough, he could have pulled it dozens more times.

Sure enough . . .

“Lien, you can’t!” Sierra protested after school when I told her my intentions. “It’s too dangerous, and I don’t have any information! Please hold off until I find out more.”

I shook my head. “And how many times will Kaido and his grunt pull off the same switcheroo before you have enough information?” I pointed out. “You were the one who told me _make believe you’re brave, and the trick will take you far. You might be as brave as you make believe you are_. Weren’t you, Sierra?”

I knew it was.

I remember it so clearly, my first night as Saint Tail. I was scared, so much so that I could hardly muster the courage to speak the words of my transformation. I had never pulled off anything of this magnitude before, even if I had been chosen by Arceus-sama. It was nerve wracking. I was going to keep it to myself, because I didn’t want to disappoint Sierra or Arceus-sama, when Sierra somehow saw through my mask of confidence and told me that.

My nun-habit-wearing best friend sighed. “You play a hard game, Lien. Yes, it was me. Alright, you can go after Kaido. But _please_ be careful.”

I smirked. _Victory._

I nodded after a moment of mental celebration. “I will be. I’ll be fine. Promise.”

So that night, I headed out to the Kaido mansion. To my _great_ surprise (note the sarcasm) Junior was there. He thought that I was going to steal from there tonight (which was true, just not for the reasons he thought) and decided that since his father couldn’t catch me, Junior would do it for him. Senior apologized for his son, but Kaido waved it away, saying that he would like to meet me, and that he heard I was a great thief.

Oh, he did _not_ just say that.

I tapped my staff on the ground (while originally it had been a short wand-like staff, after a few heists it had changed to a longer, full sized staff better to suit my needs) and the lights shut off.

“It’s Saint Tail!” Junior yelled.

_How very observant of you, Junior._ I thought dryly.

“What happened?!” Senior demanded.

“The lights won’t come on!” Another policeman exclaimed.

“Open the windows!” Senior barked.

“Yes sir!”

I grinned and spun my staff, hand over hand, until it became a spinning circle. “Showtime.” I murmured and conjured several balloons to look like me and sent them through the window as a distraction. When they were completely overwhelmed by them, I made my entrance.

I found the safe and exchanged the real Blue Meteorite for the fake easily enough. However, I was ambushed by Kaido. I raised my staff, and a web of strings shot out from it. He’d trip over one soon enough— it was just a matter of him charging at me fast enough that he wouldn’t notice them. Sure enough, Kaido charged me but he and his minion tripped over my spider web of strings. I allowed myself a brief grin. Now all I had to do was give the real gem to the lady who bought the fake. For the hell of it, and to make sure that Kaido couldn’t pull his little switcheroo again, I set the box full of the real gems on top of his back.

Junior opened the door. Cursing, I jumped up into a corner before he spotted me.

The detective wanna-be walked cautiously over to Kaido and looked at the box on his back. His face lit up as he realized what had been going on. “What are you doing?!” Kaido demanded, stirring. “Well how ingenious you are.” Junior said in what could only be a patronizing tone. “Stealing back the gems you sell!”

“How dare you call me a thief!” Kaido-teme roared. “What evidence do you have?”

“These jewels are the evidence, Mr. Kaido.” Junior retorted. He opened his laptop and pulled up a map, and then a photo list of all the jewels that had been stolen in the past month— all of the gems in Kaido-teme’s jewelry box. “She always has a reason for her capers. Saint Tail’s not a crook! Mr. Kaido, the real crook is you!”

I just knew I had a _what the fuck_ look on my face. Just yesterday morning he said that I was a crook and that it was sickening to call me wonderful. Why the sudden change of heart? Maybe I’d find out sooner or later.

“You won’t be rattling for long!” Kaido-teme snarled as his minion began to grapple with Junior.

I rolled my eyes, slightly irritated. _Can he do anything without my help?_ I wondered before I shrugged. _No matter. I’ll help him anyway, because it’ll irritate him._

I tossed a couple of cards at Kaido-teme and his minion, allowing Junior to get free and tackle Kaido-teme from the back. I detached myself from the corner and made a break for it. Just as I was about to make my escape, Junior threw something at me which wrapped around my ankle. Well I had an answer to that. Instead of struggling, I put my feet together and let him pull me. When I was close enough, I used my staff to break free and push off his shoulders.

Detective Wannabe zero, Thief of Hearts one.

Victory to the Thief of Hearts.

“Gonna have to do better than that, Junior.” I taunted from the window. “After all, you’re the son of the great Detective Asuka, aren’t you?” “Don’t be such a coward, Saint Tail!” Junior snapped. “Come down here and fight me!”

“I’d love to,” I said with a bored yawn. “But I’ve got things to do.”

I turned to leave. Junior called after me. “Wait! Challenge me! At least send me a warning next time you plan to appear!” He yelled after me. “Don’t forget to do that!”

I gave no indication I heard, instead, hurrying home to the church after I returned the fake gem to the little girl with a note to take care of her grandfather.

All in all, not a bad heist. Sure, Junior was able to take a picture of me, but it was from the back, and while transformed my hair and eyes changed color. He got a badge of investigation from the mayor, but I wasn’t about to let him catch me.

I saw him the next morning at school and congratulated him on his award— even if I didn’t really care that he got it, it was a nice thing to do and I couldn’t let him know that I was less than thrilled about him being put on the Saint Tail case.

Sierra would probably Not Be Amused by my decision to send Junior a notice whenever I was about to pull off a heist, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.

I had this feeling, nothing concrete, just a feeling, that something amazing was going to happen soon and I’d be able to ditch this stupid school for good. And when it happened, I wouldn’t look back— I’d walk out the door and never come back. I hated this stupid stifling place— I couldn’t wait to leave. The sooner I just could get out of here, the happier I’d be.


	3. A Maliciously Cunning Trap

The Clever Thief Who Steals For Good  
Chapter Three: A Maliciously Cunning Trap

_Lien_

At school the afternoon after I decided to send Junior a warning every time I was about to pull off a heist, everyone thought that Junior was hot shit because he got an award from the mayor and because he got that special investigation badge.

He was talking about how he foiled me, and how I failed to steal the Blue Meteorite.

Ha, if only they knew.

I heard their words and clenched my fists.

I knew that getting angry would solve nothing, so I tried a different tactic.

“ _The time of testing comes apace, a time when ever wolf must face, the greatest dread or fear he knows, and pay a debt to one she owes. The only born cub must away, to first friend’s home without delay. The warrior will the others free, with change and help— still they must flee. But first that magic must be done, which takes the eight and makes them one— Take that which circles blood and flesh, yet has no bottom, make it mesh, with blood from each, and then recite, the oath the warrior knows to write, which long ago was sworn by they, whose hearts beat true in you today. The singing of the fire’s bird, shall help remind her what she heard. The testing time does quickly near; it lies in you to conquer fear O lion-hearted wolf; so call, the wanderer home to save you all. The eagle hearted truth must give, the star the sound that helped him live, and royal stars will trust in him, so life, not death, will bring this Grim. If then this night you can endure, upon the morrow it is sure, that hiding shall be done for aye, and only one have cause to cry._ ”

“I wondered where you were.” A voice commented from nearby, amused.

I whirled around to face the voice, only to find that it was just Sierra. “Damn it, nee-chan, what have I told you about doing that?” I grumbled.

Sierra smiled. “Sorry, but it’s not my fault you were distracted.”

I shrugged. “I was gathering information. As you’ve noticed, everyone around here seems to think that the wannabe is hot shit.”

My best friend merely rolled her eyes at my profanity; she had tried to make me stop, but it never worked. “So,” She asked, changing the subject. “What was that you were reciting?”

I blushed. “Fifth Dangerverse prophecy.” I admitted, referring to a few Harry Potter fan-stories I’d read online. “I wanted to shout at Junior that I _didn’t_ fail, and that he was just a lucky detective wannabe who somehow got the mayor’s approval, but I knew that wouldn’t help. Counting never has helped me calm down, so instead, I went with what did work: reciting a verse. In this case, it’s the last major prophecy from Living with Danger.”

“That’s the one _and royal stars will trust in him/so life, not death, will bring this Grim_ , isn’t it?”

I nodded. “That’s the one.” I agreed. “I always have a bit of trouble remembering some of the lines, so I figured that reciting it and focusing on remembering the lines would make me forget about being angry. And hey, it worked.”

“If it works, that’s all that matters.” Sierra told me.

“So, do I have another heist to pull tonight?” I asked hopefully.

My best friend sighed. “Is it just me, or are you a little _too_ eager to help people out by being Saint Tail?” She wondered idly.

I shrugged. “While I’ll admit that my reasons for being Saint Tail aren’t entirely one hundred percent altruistic, I really do like helping people, you know.”

“Good. As it just so happens, I do have another job for you.” She led me to the church where she changed into her usual nun habit before she gave me a briefing on my latest case. “Here.” She handed me a photo. “Your latest assignment is to steal this tiara. It’s called Electra.”

“Electra?” I echoed. “Interesting name. Tell me more.”

“It’s named for the star in the Subaru constellation.” Sierra explained. “It’s also called the ‘missing one.’ It was stolen by a man named Egami, who lives on Seventh Avenue.”

I smiled. “Great. When do I leave?”

“Not tonight.” She told me immediately. “You’ve gone on a heist every night this week, imouto.” She added when I opened my mouth to protest. “You’ll wait until Saturday to steal the tiara. For one, it will throw your opponents off guard, and for another, not even Arceus-sama can keep you from making a foolish mistake if you’re tired. Finally, you need to rest. You might be able to heal quicker, but if you aren’t immune to a body’s need for rest.” She fixed me with a look that positively _dared_ me to disagree. “Am I clear?”

“Yes, nee-chan.” I grumbled sullenly. “Just one question, though. When I am allowed to go again, what do I do about our resident wannabe detective? He seems keener than ever to catch me. Plus with that fancy badge he got from the mayor he can investigate anywhere he wants.”

My pseudo-sister debated for a few moments before deciding that she was going to grant me a bit of extra power; yeah, she could do that as Arceus-sama’s representative, so to speak.

While I was the one who carried out Arceus-sama’s will, Sierra-nee-chan was something akin to his voice. I did what he wanted, Sierra told me what he wanted.

She granted me the power of un-noticeability— it was different from, and better than, invisibility because it worked on the observer rather than on the person trying to be invisible, which made it work better.

It also made a person less likely to hear me. Of course if it were someone like Junior, who seemed to have some sort of radar for when I was around, it wouldn’t work, but it would still work for most people.

The only problem was that Junior seemed more determined to catch me than ever, and that meant he was going to show up at all of my heists.

Why did Junior have to be so determined to catch me?

The days came and went, and before I knew it, Friday, the day before I was supposed to steal the Electra. With a reminder from Sierra, I used a few balloons I bought the other day to send Junior that challenge I promised him, timing it with magic to appear at the tail end of lunch when I was in plain sight of a good number of my classmates.

Granted, I doubted that anyone would think _I_ was Saint Tail, but it was better safe than sorry.

No one could possibly accuse me of sending the notice if I was sitting next to several of my classmates, including Junior.

Unfortunately, the challenge had one consequence I had neither wanted nor expected: everyone now thought that Junior was in league with me. As if.

_Why_ would I want to work with such an obsessed wanna-be?

Finally, Saturday came.

Sierra-nee-chan was giving me more information about the tiara and where it was hidden, like she always did, so that I would be better prepared.

Apparently the guy I was supposed to steal it from, Egami, had told Junior that it was hidden behind the hour hand on the clock face.

“But I know for a fact he’s lying.” Sierra added. “The tiara is actually behind the minute hand.”

I raised an eyebrow. “How did you get that information?” I asked curiously.

Sierra merely smiled at me. “Oh, I have my ways.” She replied before sobering. “You have to steal the tiara from behind the minute hand without trying to get it from the hour hand. Egami is trying to frame Asuka Jr. because everyone thinks he’s in league with you.”

I snorted. “ _Why_ would I want to work with an obsessed wannabe?”

My best friend just rolled her eyes. “You do realize that this happened because you sent that challenge to him?” She reminded.

I sighed. “Yes, nee-chan. I know. He was the one who asked me to challenge him, though. If I’d known everyone would think he’s my accomplice— which is about as likely as me suddenly liking this school— I wouldn’t have sent it to him.”

“If you steal the tiara from behind the minute hand, his name will be cleared.” She told me. “Can you do it?” I rolled my eyes, silently telling her _well, duh._

I clutched my pendant. “Ye Lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of man! Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams, unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws! Thief of Hearts— set up!”

Poker cards circled around me and I threw my hands above my head as my clothes disappeared, turned to feathers of light, and were replaced with a black and silver bodysuit that stopped at around my hips, as well as a white, navy blue, and silver jacket over it that had puffed out shoulders, a pair of half-gauntlets with a silver gem set in the center, and a navy blue waist-cape. My normally loose blond hair turned reddish brown and pulled itself into a ponytail. Finally, my pendant turned into my staff, which I grabbed. Completing the look were a pair of black socks and boots with a yellow X-tie on them, and six small black wings.

Stopping for a moment, Sierra and I bowed our heads and clasped our hands together to pray. “May the grace of Arceus-sama go with us.”

And with that, I leapt onto the roofs, heading as fast as I could towards my destination, knowing that, no matter how much I disliked Junior, I had to pull this off just right.

Junior’s very future depended on it.


	4. The Best News Heard In A While

The Clever Thief Who Steals For Good  
Chapter Four: The Best News Heard In A While

_Lien_

I raised an eyebrow as the tower came into sight. _No security. Either Egami-teme is so confident that he’s willing to forgo security, or he’s set a trap. I’m guessing it’s the second._

It was close to six o clock when I arrived. Knowing I didn’t have much time, I hurried to climb up the ladder to the clock face. I just knew that Junior would be waiting for me.

Before I started climbing, however, I activated the new power Sierra gave me. I figured that being un-noticeable would be pretty handy right about now.

Before Junior even realized I was there, I had already climbed up the ladder and to the clock face. He evidently had been waiting for six o clock, because that was the only time I could get the tiara from behind the hour hand. What a moron.

At six o clock exactly, Junior threw off his blanket. “Okay, Saint Tail, come on out!”

“Hi!” I called down cheerfully from where I was, waving and grinning; it was so much fun to get Junior all riled up. And he made it _all_ to easy, so that just made it better. “What a beautiful moon. I’m so happy you waited for me.”

“Saint Tail?” Junior wondered, looking puzzled. “Why are you up there?”

I smirked. “I know where it’s really hidden!” I sang, aiming to piss him off. “The Electra is behind the minute hand.” To prove my point, I reached in and grabbed the tiara. I set it on my head and did a few mocking poses for Junior. “Well that’s it. I’ve got the Electra.”

Junior stared at me, furious, as Egami burst onto the area where Junior had been waiting. “My Electra is being stolen!” Egami shouted.

“Someone has a grasp on the obvious, ne, Junior?” I grinned.

“Wait! Saint Tail!” Junior called, taking off at a run towards me. However, I was one step ahead of him and had started to summon the balloons I used to send Junior the challenge with my staff. “Mr. Egami, you said the Electra was behind the hour hand!”

“Shut up!” Egami barked.

“You can’t escape!” Junior shouted.

I merely raised an eyebrow. “Oh no? Then why do I have this balloon fleet all summoned and ready for me to make my getaway?”

He ignored me, telling me not to move. As if I’d to listen to a wannabe. I grabbed the balloons and allowed them to carry me away. However, before I could make my getaway, Egami climbed up to the very top of the clock tower and grabbed onto my legs, dragging me down!

I managed to kick him off, but a couple balloons broke in the process.

I didn’t have enough to support my weight, so I was slowly being dragged to the ground.

Damn it!

I panicked when I saw Egami-teme pull a knife.

“This time,” I heard him growl. “I’ll burst that big one.”

Well, hell. There had to be something I could do. But what?

_Think fast, Saint Tail!_ I admonished myself— whenever I was transformed, I’d conditioned myself to only ever refer to myself as Saint Tail or Thief of Hearts so that I didn’t accidentally slip and refer to myself by my real name and give my identity away. _Think fast, Thief of Hearts! What can I do? Of course! A barrier spell, that should work!_

“Brothers in arms withdrawing for the distance of eight suns and standing still; blue bolt, white bolt, black bolt, red bolt; sinking into the ocean together seeking redemption.” I chanted and a large barrier began to form around me.

Egami-teme raised his knife and prepared to throw it, taking careful aim at my biggest balloon.

_Shit, the barrier’s not ready yet!_ I thought desperately.

Junior tackled the man, only to get thrown to the ground/floor/whatever.

Egami raised his knife and was about to throw it again, with a muttered “This will get my Electra back,” only for Junior’s special badge of investigation to go flying through the air and hit Egami’s hand, forcing the man to drop his knife.

I raised an eyebrow. “Hey thanks, Junior. What was that for?”

“Because I need you alive to stand trial, duh.” Junior scoffed.

“Brat!” Egami snarled. “How dare you!” He lunged at Junior, but I had other ideas.

“Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel,” I recited. “With light, divide this into six! Bakudo sixty six— six rods prison of light!”

Six rods of light appeared and encircled Egami, disallowing him the use of his arms.

I struggled like hell to maintain both spells— my control over the magic Sierra-nee-chan granted me when I first took up the mantel of Saint Tail wasn’t the best, so maintaining both a barrier and a binding was quite difficult— but somehow, I managed it.

However, I soon managed to summon the balloons I needed to lift myself back up and let the barrier drop, taking a bit of the strain off.

Finally, I decided that Egami had been bound long enough that I could release him and place a weaker binding on him, a simple Bakudo one, Sai, so that was exactly what I did.

“I wasn’t trying to protect you!” Junior called. “Don’t misunderstand what I did!”

I rolled my eyes. “Duh. As you’ve already said, you need me alive to stand trial.”

“Listen!” He added, ignoring me. “Keep sending me those challenges! Give me a fair chance! I’ll get you sooner or later! Are you listening to me?!”

Sensing my chance to piss him off royally— again— I smirked and pulled my eyelid down stuck my tongue out. “Not a chance, Junior-kins!” I shouted in a singsong voice, and oh, did his face _ever_ turn some pretty colors.

“Get back here!” Junior screamed, enraged, as I floated away into the night under the light of the full moon. Ah, revenge is sweet.

The balloons carried me back to the church where I gave the tiara to Sierra. She was impressed with me, and she also had something to tell me.

“Good work out there tonight, Lien.” Sierra praised as I sat down and un-transformed; it had been a long night, and right now, I was running on fumes. “I have news for you.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, what?”

“Two things, both of which I’m fairly sure you’ll be happy about: one, sometime soon, I suspect you’ll find a Pokémon and finally be able to change programs.” My pseudo-sister informed me. “Second, I don’t know when, but I’m almost certain you’ll be adopted.”

Tiredness completely forgotten, I shot to my feet. “Are you serious?!” I demanded. “You really mean that?! You’re not just saying that, are you?!”

When I was younger, I used to dream that some long-last relative would come to take me away and then I’d have the family I always dreamed of having, but it never happened. As I got older, slowly, little by little, my hope had faded and I had eventually come to the conclusion that no one was ever going to adopt me and that Sierra was the closest thing to a family I’d ever have.

Sierra laid her hands on my shoulders. “Easy there, Lien. _Calm down._ Yes, I’m serious, yes, I really mean that, and no I’m not just saying that. You know I wouldn’t say something like that unless I actually meant it. Or at least I hope you know me better than that.”

I blushed. “Sorry nee-chan. I just gave up hope a long time ago.”

She smiled sadly as I sat back down. “I know. It’ll be soon, but I don’t know _how_ soon. Within a year, I think, but that’s all I can tell you.”

I shrugged. “Whatever. I just hope that it’s really true.”

Sierra smiled at me. “Don’t worry, imouto. Sometime soon, I can promise you by Arceus-sama, my prediction will come true and you _will_ be adopted. I swear it.”

The next morning, Sierra told me that she had returned the tiara, and that the owner was very happy about it. Apparently, she wanted to say thank you for returning the tiara.

I didn’t see how it was a big deal— it was just another heist as the Thief of Hearts. I was broken out of my thoughts when I caught a glimpse of Junior reading a newspaper and heard him muttering about something.

“That old man . . .” He growled. “He even had me fooled!”

“Go ahead of me, nee-chan. I’ll catch up with you.” I told her as I walked over to the railing.

Raising an eyebrow, she nodded. “Alright. I’ll see you in class. Just don’t be late.”

I snorted. “I won’t be. Really.” I added at her disbelieving look. “I’m not going to be late. I’m just gonna have a little chat with Junior, and then I’ll come to class. If I’m late, you can deny me missions for the next week for not doing what I said.”

Sierra sighed. “Alright, but I’ll hold you to that.”

I grinned. “Thank you. Hey Junior!” I called over the railing. “Heard you got your name cleared and everyone thinks you’re hot shit again. You’re supposed to be some big hero to everyone.”

Junior glared at me. “Yeah, so?” He demanded, a touch defensively.

I shrugged. “Well you’ve still got a million years before you get my respect!”

And with that, I tossed him a final parting wave over my shoulder and headed to the classroom, all the while wondering when I would finally find a family.


	5. Meeting A Partner For Life

The Clever Thief Who Steals For Good  
Chapter Five: Meeting A Partner For Life

_Lien_

It was a Sunday, two weeks after Sierra delivered the best news I had ever heard. I was out riding my bike because I wanted some fresh air, away from the church’s stifling rules. I didn’t even like the place— I was just staying there until I found somewhere better to go.

When I was younger, I used to dream that some long-lost relative would show up after searching the world just to find me and would take me away, and then I’d finally have the family I had always dreamed of, even though I knew that wasn’t likely. As I grew older, my hopes slowly faded away until I accepted that Sierra was likely going to be my only family. Accepted that likely there wasn’t an adult in the world who wanted me, especially after I reached thirteen— the age when adopters no longer wanted a kid.

Adopters always wanted little kids, and the older a person got, the less likely they were to find someone who was willing to take them in. That was doubly true in my case.

I wasn’t really born, you see. I was created by Cyrus of Team Galactic. I was cloned from a former champion of the Sinnoh region, a woman who was a gifted psychic who also had the ability to speak to Pokémon. I believe the idea was to see if a person could be both an Aura Guardian and a psychic, or at least to see if those powers could be cloned. I’m not sure if the experiment worked or not. I hadn’t really been around Pokémon often enough to know if I could talk to them, and I had never shown any sign of being psychic.

I heard a horn behind me and was broken out of my thoughts. I glanced back to see a massive truck behind me!

Cursing, I quickly pedaled out of the street and onto the sidewalk, seeing a massive Shiny Entei in a cage. I had to do a double take to make sure I was really seeing an Entei, a Shiny one at that. After a couple of times looking to make sure that, no, I really wasn’t dreaming, I reached into the cage, smiling. “Well now, you _are_ a noble beast.” I commented, stroking the Legendary Pokémon’s head as best I could, getting a purring sound in response.

“Hey, you!” A man’s voice called. “I wouldn’t do that! That Entei is dangerous!”

I slowly brought my hand out of the cage and turned to face the man I figured was the store owner. “Sorry, I didn’t know. He didn’t seem dangerous to me, though. In fact, he rather seemed to like the stroking I was giving him.”

“Wait,” The store owner began incredulously. “He actually let you _stroke_ him? He’s never let me do that before! I can’t even get him to take a bath! I can barely do anything with him. Pretty much all I can do is throw a bowl of food in the cage and get out of there. I swear he thinks I’m the Wicked Witch or something.”

My eyebrows shot up in interest. “You tried making it spicy and warming it up?”

“What, the food?”

I nodded. “Fire Types often like spicy food, and the hotter the better. I couldn’t say why, although it might be because their taste buds burn off after the first bite. As for warming it up, Fire types rarely like anything cold. Even if it’s just lukewarm, it’s still better than cold.”

The man chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind. Since you seem to know so much, mind telling me how I can get him to take a bath? As you may or may not have noticed, he stinks.”

I laughed. “He does, doesn’t he?” I agreed, earning an indignant look from the Entei. “Oh don’t give me that look. It’s your own fault you stink. If you would just let . . .” I trailed off as I realized I had never gotten the store owner’s name.

“Sosuke.” He supplied. “Call me Sosuke.”

“Thank you Sosuke-san. My name is Lien.” I said, turning back to my new friend, intent on continuing my scolding. “If you would just let Sosuke-san bathe you, you wouldn’t stink. You’ve got no one to blame but yourself, Kaitou-kun.”

Sosuke-san raised an eyebrow. “Kaitou?”

“He needs a name.” I replied by way of explanation. “I can’t just keep calling him ‘the Entei’ or something like that, now can I? Since he’s already stolen my heart, he’s Kaitou-kun.”

The store owner smiled. “Kaitou, then. So, would you happen to know any way I can get him to take a bath? As we both know, he stinks and he needs one.”

“Use hot water.” I suggested. “Fire types don’t typically like anything cold.”

“How do you know so much?”

I shrugged. “Trainers occasionally come and visit the school where I live and its church.” I made a face. “When they do, usually I ask them all the questions I can. I want to be a Trainer myself, you see, but unfortunately, without a Pokémon, I can’t just up and leave, as much as I’d like to. The Boys in Blue would just track me down and drag me back.”

“No parents, right?” Sosuke-san guessed.

“Nope.” I popped the P. “Never had ’em. I was cloned by Cyrus, you know, leader of Team Galactic before it was disbanded, from one of the region’s champions before Cynthia. The idea was to see if psychic powers could be cloned. I don’t think it worked.”

“Well, damn.”

“Indeed. So what’s his story?” I jerked a thumb at Kaitou-kun. “Shouldn’t he be out with a Trainer or out in the wild, not in a cage at a pet store?”

“Well, his story is a bit of a sad one. His egg was stolen from the nest before it hatched and sold on the black market to a greedy collector who basically just wanted to show him off, and never had him battle.” Sosuke-san shrugged. “Probably didn’t want him strong enough to break free. He’s not strong enough to go with a Trainer and he quite obviously can’t go back to the wild. This was seen as the best choice.”

I frowned. “That’s cruel.” Especially because he didn’t even have a True Name, despite his egg having been laid in the wild. You see, every Pokémon born in the wild had what was called a True Name— a name that only Pokémon knew which defined who and what they were. I’d heard about it from a few visiting Trainers. Apparently, a True Name was secret and was never supposed to be told to anyone but a Pokémon’s Trainer. A Pokémon born in captivity, however, didn’t get a True Name because humans didn’t know what a True Name meant and because a human couldn’t truly define who and what a Pokémon was.

The store’s owner nodded. “I know. But he seems pretty taken with you. Maybe you could adopt him and kill two birds with one stone: you could go on your journey, or at least transfer from that church school you go to— it’s called Saint Paulia’s, isn’t it?” At my nod, he continued. “You could at least transfer out of Saint Paulia’s normal school system and to the Pokémon program, and Kaitou gets a Trainer who cares about _him,_ not the fact that he’s a Shiny Entei.”

I grinned. “I like the way you think, Sosuke-san.”

“Thanks. So, will you take him? I promise not to sell him until you come back.” He promised. “Since you probably don’t have much money, I’ll even give you a discount.”

I smiled. “Thanks.” I checked the sun’s position (no watch and not enough money to be able that I could justify getting one meant that I had to rely on the sun to help me tell time; not exactly the most accurate way, but it worked). “It’s late, so I’ll come back tomorrow. I’ll bring my money and whatever else you need. Maybe I can even convince my sister Sierra to come.”

“That would be nice. I always seem to have an overflow of Pokémon that no one wants.”

After bidding Sosuke-san goodbye, I hurried back to the dorms. The whole night, I tossed and turned and couldn’t sleep because I was so excited to finally have a Pokémon of my own.  Finally, I could leave the church and go somewhere else— although I would still continue to be Saint Tail and steal from the wicked. However, the next morning when I returned, Kaitou-kun was gone. “Sosuke-san?” I called into the store. “I’m back. Where’s Kaitou-kun?”

A very dejected looking Sosuke-san walked out of the store. “Lien. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but a man bought him yesterday just after you left. I basically had to let him.”

I sighed. “He threatened you with something, did he?” And despite the wording, both of us knew that it wasn’t a question.

This drew a heavy sigh from Sosuke-san. “He did. He threatened that if I didn’t _sell him that Entei this very instant_ he would go through the city to buy the whole store for any amount he had to, and then he’d sell the Pokémon to fighting rings.”

I winced. Everyone had heard of Pokémon fighting rings— they were groups of people who had Pokémon fight for their own entertainment. It wasn’t a battle— it was just a straight, no holds barred, fight. One thing that made it different from a battle was the lack of attacks. It was a purely physical fight. And from what I’d heard, they were often very brutal and merciless.

And they were _highly_ illegal.

“Ouch.” I said, not knowing what else to say. I sighed. “Whatever. I’m the one who shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up. Mind if I come and help out around the store for a bit of money? Maybe one of these days I’ll be able to find a partner as right as Kaitou-kun was. And then I can _finally_ leave stupid Saint Paulia for good.”

Sosuke-san smiled. “Of course I wouldn’t mind you helping me out. As I told you yesterday, I always seem to have an overflow of Pokémon that no one wants.  Your help would certainly be welcome if you can find the time.”

Oh, I’d find it all right.

I shrugged. “Not like I’ve got anything better to do with my time.” Well, that wasn’t _quite_ true— I had being Saint Tail to occupy myself, at least for a few more years— but I wasn’t about to tell him that. When I first started, Sierra-nee-chan had been insistent that no one learn who I was.

After working out the details with Sosuke-san, I made my way back to the church proper, where I found Sierra-nee-chan waiting for me.

“Good evening, Lien. You look disappointed.” She noted.

I waved a hand. “I just got my hopes a little too high.” Was all I would say on the subject. “So, um, I don’t suppose you’ve got anything for me to do tonight? I need to blow off a little steam after my earlier disappointment.”

My surrogate sister smiled. “Why yes, as a matter of fact, I do have something I need you to do for me. Your mission tonight is to steal the Polar Tear.”


	6. The Naming Of The Noble Thief

The Clever Thief Who Steals For Good  
Chapter Six: The Naming Of The Noble Thief

_Lien_

I blinked. “Polar Tear?” I echoed. Sierra nodded, explaining that it was a diamond said to be a teardrop from the north star. I raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? Stars are masses of gas and fire and some of them burn with heat more intense than the sun. It’s impossible for them to produce _any_ sort of moisture, let alone _tears_. Why would someone get _that_ stupid idea?”

My sister sighed in exasperation. “I think you’re missing the point here. What’s the first thing I taught you about dealing with people?”

“ _People’s actions aren’t dictated by what’s actually true but what they_ believe _is true._ ” I recited with a sigh of my own. “I know, I know. So tell me more about my mission.”

“Right. The owner, Kamimura, shared it with his friend Hayase, a friend from his school days. Each had it for two months at a time. But, yesterday when he went to pick up the diamond for his two months keeping it, Hayase claimed he didn’t have it, and that he’d already given the Polar Tear to Kamimura. He searched the house, but it was nowhere to be found.” Sierra explained. “Hayase also accused him of trying to keep the Polar Tear for himself.”

I shook my head. “You know, despite all the good people have done, sometimes their greed and selfishness really amazes me— and I thought I’d stopped being amazed by it a long time ago.”

My best friend/sister nodded. “Indeed. But, back to the story, the police were called and the house was searched—”

“But they never found the Polar Tear.” I finished. “So then it must be hiding somewhere. Somewhere that isn’t very obvious and no one would ever think to look. One problem: how am I going to find it if I don’t know where to look?”

“Well,” She paused briefly, seeming to hesitate. “I was going to wait to tell you this, but being Saint Tail, you occasionally develop powers on your own. Haven’t you ever noticed that when you want to find something very badly, you instinctively know where it is?”

I frowned thoughtfully, thinking back on my heists within the past month. “Actually, I have, now that you mention it. So when am I going?”

“Tomorrow night at midnight.” She replied. “I don’t want you going tonight because you’re angry and I’m afraid you’ll make a mistake. It’s extremely important that you find the gem. According to the contract, if the Polar Tear is lost, whoever lost the gem has to pay for it.”

I nodded reluctantly. “Got it.” The next day at school, I was trying, and failing, to hide my amusement at Junior’s snoring. It was certainly driving the teacher mad. In fact, she actually broke a piece of chalk on the blackboard from pressing too hard.

“Then let us continue from line twenty.” The teacher began, looking like she had to resist the urge to strangle her sleeping pupil. Eye twitching, she tossed the broken piece of chalk at Junior. “Mr. Asuka! Read!” The chalk hit him square in the forehead, sending him flying backwards comically. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.

Finally, Junior stood up. “Yes.” He said. “Let’s see,” He looked at his book. “ _Tonight I’ll be at the Hayase mansion to get the Polar Tear. Signed Saint Tail._ ” I smothered a laugh. Putting it in his book was a stroke of genius on my part.  He just stared at it for a moment before he finally realized what it was. All I could do to keep myself out of trouble was put have Sierra put a silencer on me as well as a glamour before I dissolved into laughter. Junior just made a complete fool of himself, and I was going to enjoy it for years to come. It was a good source of a free laugh.

That night, I got all my homework done, doing just enough that I would pass (I liked to play the average student; not great, but not terrible either— just perfectly average) and headed to the church with hours to spare.  “You’re early.” Sierra-nee-chan commented by way of greeting. “Well, have a seat and I’ll let you know when it’s time to go.”

I nodded and sat down on one of the benches, praying for luck and a chance to somehow achieve my dream and leave Saint Paulia for good, at some point falling asleep, dreaming of a teardrop inside a Pokémon’s stomach. Finally, at eleven thirty, Sierra roused me with an amused smile, telling me it was time to go.

I stood up, holding my pendant. “Ye Lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of man! Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams, unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws. Thief of Hearts— set up!”

Poker cards circled around me and I threw my hands above my head as my clothes disappeared, turned to feathers of light, and were replaced with a black and silver bodysuit that stopped at around my hips, as well as a white, navy blue, and silver jacket over it that had puffed out shoulders, a pair of half-gauntlets with a silver gem set in the center, and a navy blue waist-cape. My normally loose blond hair turned reddish brown and pulled itself into a ponytail. Finally, my pendant turned into my staff, which I grabbed. Completing the look were a pair of black socks and boots with a yellow X-tie on them, and six small black wings.

Stopping for a moment, Sierra and I bowed our heads and clasped our hands together to pray. “May the blessings of Arceus-sama go with us.”

I hurried towards the Hayase mansion, where I saw Junior using that badge he got from the mayor to get in so he could stake the place out. Too bad he wasn’t going to get me. I looked through the window as the man I assumed must have been Hayase walked up to a cage containing— _Kaitou-kun?!_ I had a feeling he was about to reveal something, so I practically scrambled to throw a listening seal onto the window. “I must say, this is ingenious.” Hayase commented with a twisted grin as he looked through the bars of Kaitou-kun’s cage. “No one would ever think that the Polar Tear is in your stomach!”

“That— that—” I exploded in a rant, after casting a silencing spell on myself; I wasn’t very good with them and I often messed them up, so usually I had Sierra do them for me. “That dirty rotten no good bastard!” And, now that I thought about it, that explained the dream I had shortly before coming here: a teardrop inside a Pokémon’s stomach. There was a knock on the door, and a second later, Junior entered. He said he knew it was really rude of him, and wanted to know if Hayase-teme was _sure_ that the Polar Tear wasn’t anywhere in the mansion. And, now that I thought about it, technically he was right— it wasn’t inside the _mansion_ , it was inside Kaitou’s stomach. And while _Kaitou_ was in the mansion, his stomach was inside of him, so, technically, the gem wasn’t in the mansion, even if the logic behind it was a little confusing. Junior noticed Kaitou in the cage and mentioned that a Shiny Entei was a really rare Pokémon to have. He went to reach into the cage when Hayase-teme smacked his hand away. Junior’s hand hit the lock, and it came undone. The cage door burst open, Kaitou attempting to make his way to the window. I chose that moment to take the silencing spell off myself and burst in through the window, leaping onto Kaitou-kun’s back in the process.

“It’s Saint Tail!” Junior exclaimed.

I snorted. “How very astute of you, Junior.” I replied dryly. “Kaitou, let’s get out of here. After all, we’ve got a diamond to deliver.”

“ _Of course._ ” My partner in crime agreed. So I could talk to Pokémon after all. Okay then.

Kaitou leapt from rooftop to rooftop, Junior hot on our tail. “You’re not getting away!” The wannabe shouted. Good grief. Didn’t this guy know when to cut his losses and give up? It wasn’t like I was ever going to let him catch me.

I rolled my eyes. “Just keep telling yourself that.” I spotted a tower in the distance and an idea formed. “Kaitou, there!” I pointed at the tower. “I have an idea.” I leaned over and whispered my plan in his ear. With a nod, he increased his pace. Bit by bit, we came closer, and when we were close enough, with a great leap, he leapt onto the balcony. Dismounting, I hurried inside. Junior tried to run up the escalator, but I merely tapped it with my staff and it started to move— backwards. Smothering a laugh, I twirled my staff hand over hand until it became a spinning circle. The gem glowed and bouncy balls shot themselves at Junior.

“Hand over that Entei, you little pest!” Hayase-teme snarled as he casually rode up the escalator that was moving up instead of down.

I rolled my eyes, making for the elevator. “As if. Sorry. I don’t _take_ orders from douchebags.” Leaping onto Kaitou’s back, I stuck my tongue out at him just as the elevator door closed.

I guess Hayase-teme and Junior got in the other elevator, but too bad for them I anticipated that and just went back down again. “Show your face!” Junior shouted.

_You asked for it._ I thought, conjuring a sign and holding it up to cover my face. “How’s this?” I smirked. He was going to hate me for this, but it wasn’t like I cared.

Junior’s face turned a lovely shade of red before it turned an equally lovely shade of purple. “I’ll get you for that!” He snarled. What did the sign say?

**Hail Asuka Jr., the great detective wannabe who will never catch the Thief of Hearts.**

As the doors opened to the bottom floor, I glanced upwards and sighed. “I should probably just escape now. But damn it, what is it about Junior that makes me want to keep tormenting him?” I let out another sigh as the elevator doors closed and it began its journey upwards again. “Alright. One more time.”

Kaitou chuckled. “ _I may not know much about you humans, but I think that a certain Thief of Hearts has a_ thing _for a certain wannabe detective._ ”

“I do not!” I protested loudly. The elevator reached the top, so I shot him a look. “We’ll talk about this later. Don’t think we’re done with this argument.”

“ _I wouldn’t dream of it._ ” Kaitou replied innocently. I flipped him off and quickly conjured up a little something as the elevator opened.

“Saint Tail, we’ve got you!” Junior shouted as Hayase shouted at me to ‘hand over his Entei’ or something like that. They ran forward, only to be stopped and blown back by my giant Entei balloon. The best part about it? Kaitou and I were _in_ the balloon, so it was a perfect way to torment Junior some more.

I counted mentally. _One, two . . ._ The balloon exploded, blowing Hayase-teme and Junior back again. I, on the other hand, was able to land safely on my feet next to Kaitou. One of the bits of paper from the balloon landed on Kaitou’s nose, making him sneeze and cough up the Polar Tear. Oh good. One less thing for me to worry about. I smirked. “That’s what you get for being bad and hoarding the gem all to yourself!” I taunted the dazed Hayase-teme. However, Junior woke soon after that and I had to flee, lest he see what I really looked like. Conjuring my balloons, I made them so that they could carry both Kaitou and I, and we took to the skies. “Goodbye!” I called mockingly as Junior came to the edge of the roof. “Take care of the rest for me!” I opened my hand and let the Polar Tear fall.

“A star?” Junior wondered as it fell. He raised his hands to catch it, and it landed in his cupped hands with no problem. Mission accomplished. As I floated further away, I cast a hearing enhancement spell on myself, curious about what he would do. “Oh, it’s the Polar Tear.” He looked up. “Hey. Why did she give this to me?”

I ended the listening spell on myself and looked at Kaitou. “So then, Kaitou-kun, now that Hayase-teme has been taken care of, would you care to be my partner?”

“ _Absolutely._ ” Kaitou-kun agreed.

I smiled. “Great. I’ll need something to call you while we’re on the job, so I’ll give you another name. I can’t give you a True Name, as no human can truly define who and what a Pokémon is, but I can give you a codename: Noble Thief. Stand and deliver.” I held out free hand, and the newly-named Noble Thief placed a paw into it. I closed my hand as best I could around his paw, sealing the pact between us. “And to seal the pact between us,” I placed a hand on his neck. “One, two, three.” I chanted and a blazing orange choker appeared around his neck.

“ _So, I guess we’re partners from now on, right?_ ”

“Bet on it. But first, we need to take you back to the pet store.” I held up my free hand to stall his protests. “Do you _want_ someone to get suspicious? If we’re going to go on a journey together eventually, we’ll eventually battle. I’m not just going to not use you because you’re a Shiny Entei. Someone will eventually make the connection between you, the pet store, and Saint Tail. I don’t want that happening. And anyway, we’re here.”

As we touched down, I dismissed the balloons and hurried Kaitou back into his cage. Unfortunately, I bumped into something, making a noise, just as I got him back in, causing the light to flip on in the shop almost instantly. Damn it! The infamous Phantom Thief caught by making noise. What a way to go. “Who’s out there?!” Sosuke-san demanded from inside the shop. Cursing, I shut the door to Kaitou-kun’s cage and hastily leapt onto the roof. “I know someone’s out there. Show yourself this instant, before I call the police.”

_Here’s hoping he won’t recognize me._ I thought nervously as I jumped down; I didn’t want to have him call the police and have them snooping around, and possibly take Kaitou-kun.

I cast a spell on myself that would change my voice slightly and I also changed my speech patterns, and stepped out into the light, bowing with a flourish. “Greetings, sir, I am the Thief of Hearts, coming to return your stolen property. Take care of him, for a girl who waits for him, whose heart he has stolen. The night grows old, so I must take my leave of you now. Goodbye.”

“Wait.” The word was snapped out, like a command from a drill sergeant. “Come here. Turn around. Show me your face.” Slowly, I did so, praying to Arceus-sama that he wouldn’t recognize me. “Come closer.” Gulping, I stepped closer. Sosuke-san grabbed my chin and stared at my face. “Lien.” He decided. “You look different, you sound different, you speak different, but I know that it’s you. How long have you been Saint Tail? _Why_ are you Saint Tail?”

I sighed. “Since the beginning.” I admitted; no point in denying it. “I’ve always been Saint Tail and Saint Tail has always been me. I’ve been chosen by Arceus-sama to essentially be a modern-day, magical girl version of Robin Hood.”

“We can talk more about this tomorrow. But Lien, know that I expect answers, and I will get them.” Sosuke-san warned. Nodding, I leapt onto the roofs, heading for the church, praying to Arceus-sama that Sierra-nee-chan wouldn’t kill me for getting myself revealed.


End file.
